First timer in Mexico City? This is your crash course in everything you need to know

By Lydia Carey| 3 years ago

Basilica of Guadalupe with Mexico City skyline (Getty)

The culinary appeal of Paris, the human chaos of Shanghai, the ancient history of Machu Picchu, Mexico City is pushing them all aside to become 2016's top travel destination. Before you bite into your first taco, here are few things you should know about the teeming metropolis.

Plan your days

It's not always a case of just rocking-up and thinking all will be open for you in Mexico city. For one, days start lazily in Mexico City. The streets begin to stir around 7am but the coffee doesn't start percolating until closer to 10am.

On Mondays, museums close so have an alternative plan, like take a food tour or explore a neighborhood.

On Sundays, Reforma Avenue becomes pedestrian and you can stroll this spectacular boulevard coffee in hand or watch it fly by from the seat of a bicycle. Friday nights the traffic is a drag – make a dinner reservation you can walk to.

The city has over 150 museums, do your research and don't just hit up the standards. Chocaholics should see the Chocolate Museum in Juarez, modern art aficionados, the Jumex Museum in Polanco.

Nostalgic? Take a trip to the Museo del Juguete Antiguo México and see one of the largest toy collections in Latin America. Remember to leave lots of time for eating and drinking.

Hit the streets

Mexico City transportation has a scary reputation and a pretty benign reality. That said, non-residents should probably avoid street taxis – they are notorious for getting lost.

For a cab, the Uber app is probably the easiest and most familiar for Anglophones. As a tourist skip the metro bus (you need a metro card) and the regular buses (the routes are confusing), but don't miss the regular metro.

Even the public-transport illiterate can figure it out. It's extremely efficient and ubiquitous, in addition to being totally impossible from 6am-9am and 6pm-9pm. Ride it now before the government evicts all the vendors and while you can still buy 10-peso salsa cds and sets of sharpie markers during your commute.

Unless you're a taxi driver in Mumbai, avoid renting a car. The traffic is mayhem and the signage non-existent. Mexico City drivers don't concern themselves with pedestrians either, so be careful crossing the street.

Get to know the natives

Despite all the horn honking, outside of their cars chilangos (Mexico City residents) are pretty easygoing. If you want to get to know them and their city you should most definitely eat with them.

Eating in Mexico is the singular thread that connects all classes and colors. Don't skip street food and market stalls because you fear germs – eat at places bustling with locals and that look clean.

When you sit down always say "buen provecho" (the Spanish version of "bon appétit!") to anyone eating near you and again when you leave to those that remain, mouths full. Remember to save space for something fancy. Nicholas Gilman's Good Food in Mexico City is a great guide to restaurants of all stripes.

Pick your playground

The city is a monster and every neighborhood offers a unique snapshot. The Centro Histórico is great for daytime action and for meditating on the various layers of history literally right under your feet, but short on nightlife.

The Zona Rosa and Juarez are chock full of clubs and bars (many LGBT) and its recent renaissance has added a handful of boutique hotels and hipster coffee shops to this grittier part of the city.

The Condesa and Roma areas are artsy and eclectic, home to great restaurants, art deco architecture and lots of dog owners.

Polanco has some of the city's most upscale hotels and equally upscale restaurants, shopaholics can check out Mexico City's Rodeo Drive, Presidente Masaryk Avenue. There are about half a dozen more barrios definitely worth a wander should you be interested in veering from the well-beaten path.

The decision can be tough, but if you can't choose don't worry, you'll be back soon, I guarantee it.